PCC Trustee Tammy Silver at the June 10, 2026 meeting (Photo – Screengrab)
At the June 10, 2026 meeting, the Board of Trustees at Pasadena City College adopted the 2026–27 fiscal year tentative budget. Trustee Tammy Silver asked questions during the presentation about the amount of detail provided. The Board is expected to vote on the final budget in September.
By Melissa Michelson
Interim Chief Fiscal Officer Dr. Carole Meagher’s PowerPoint presentation included two slides titled “PCC Tentative Budget […] The Numbers” (Agenda item J1). She noted that the figures were difficult to read due to their size and said, “You don’t need to see the numbers.” No accompanying spreadsheet was provided.
Meagher referenced an anticipated 2% increase in full-time equivalent student enrollment, about 455 students, which is tied to the college’s state funding allocation.
The presentation included a summary chart of revenues from federal, state, and local sources, as well as expenditures for employee salaries, benefits, supplies, and capital outlay for fiscal year 2025, along with forecasted budgets for 2026 and 2027.
According to the presentation, the college expects to receive $156 million from the state, $701,301 from the federal government, and $78.6 million from local taxes in FY 2026. Salary expenditures were broken down as follows: $43.6 million for faculty salaries, $41.8 million for part-time faculty, $17.1 million for non-instructional salaries, $37.2 million for classified staff, and an additional $3 million for hourly tutors and academic coaches.
The chart did not include employee counts tied to these categories. It also did not align with how the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office reports staffing data.
According to the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, Pasadena City College employed a total of 1,697 individuals in 2025, categorized as Educational Administrators (38), Academic Tenured/Tenure-Track (433), Academic Temporary (727), and Classified (452).
For 2026–27, the college plans to spend $22 million on faculty retirement contributions and $10.4 million on staff retirement contributions. It also plans to spend approximately $27 million on employee health and disability insurance, $19.9 million on “software and services,” and $7 million on other expenses.
Trustee Silver stated, “Fiduciary responsibility is what we’re supposed to do.”
Trustee Silver (Area 4) asked questions during the presentation and requested additional detail, including figures and percentages. She said the presentation lacked sufficient detail, noting, ‘This is an institution of nearly a quarter of a billion dollars—a one-page tentative budget feels murky. As trustees, we deserve full transparency and information,’ and added that in prior years the Board received more detailed breakdowns.
She also raised concerns about staffing costs and adjunct faculty compensation, noting that adjunct salaries were projected to exceed full-time faculty salaries by $1.6 million in FY 2027. Dr. Jennifer Clark, Vice President of Business & Administrative Services, said, “We like to rely on adjunct faculty,” adding that benefits should also be considered in comparisons.
Silver further questioned a projected $5 million savings associated with a retirement incentive program that led 38 faculty and staff members to retire at the end of the month. She said only $1.4 million in salary savings had been identified based on Dr. Meagher’s presentation.
The Vote
Trustee Alton Wong (Area 7), who is running for re-election in November, expressed support for the presentation and acknowledged Silver’s comments. “She’s well within her rights to ask for more information,” he said.
Trustee Ryan Liu (Area 6) seconded the motion and also acknowledged Silver’s questions. Silver and Liu both serve on the Board’s budget subcommittee.
Trustee Kristine Kwong (Area 5), also running for re-election in November, described the presentation as a “bird’s-eye landscape.”
With the exception of Trustee Silver, who abstained, and Trustee Sandra Chen Lau (Area 1), who was absent, the Pasadena City College tentative budget for 2026–27 was approved.
PCC Tentative Budget.
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